


How Far We've Come

by Onthecyberseas



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Birthday, Birthday Fluff, Established Relationship, Future Fic, M/M, Party, book tour
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-28
Updated: 2020-07-28
Packaged: 2021-03-06 06:27:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,108
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25578826
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Onthecyberseas/pseuds/Onthecyberseas
Summary: On the day Bitty's book tour stops at Samwell, Jack turns 30.
Relationships: Eric "Bitty" Bittle/Jack Zimmermann
Comments: 10
Kudos: 78
Collections: Jack Zimmermann Turns 30!





	How Far We've Come

**Author's Note:**

> For the Jack Zimmermann Turns 30 Challenge prompt "Book Tour."

Despite knowing that today was his birthday, Jack didn’t feel any different as he stirred awake and shielded his eyes from the sunlight coming through the window. The familiar aches and pains from his time on the ice still lingered and his wedding ring still rested comfortably on his finger. Only the date on his phone and a couple of early ‘Happy Birthday’ texts indicated that he was any older.

Yawning, he rolled over in the hotel bed to find that Bitty wasn’t next to him. He figured that Bitty must have left the hotel early to head to the bookstore. He walked out of the bedroom to find one of Bitty’s signature pies resting on the top of a table in the front of the suite. There was no doubt that the pie was freshly baked even though there was no oven in the hotel suite. _Bitty must have bribed the hotel to let him use their kitchen again_ , Jack thought to himself as he settled on the couch in front of the table.

Beside the pie was a note scribbled in Bitty’s handwriting:

_Happy Birthday, Jack!_

_Love, Bitty_

Picking up the pie, he sniffed it and smiled at the scent of crust and cherry that greeted him. Sometimes, he felt like he was living in a dream. He was sure that his younger self would have never believed that he would not only eventually win a Stanley Cup, but that he would be happily married to the man of his dreams and surrounded by friends and family who loved him unconditionally. However, a lot had changed over the years and his dreams somehow had become a reality. Jack never wanted to think about what would happen if things had ended up differently.

He cut into the pie, savoring the taste of cherry and crust as he responded to the birthday texts that were on his phone. He knew pie wasn’t the most nutritious breakfast, but it was hard to resist anything Bitty made. His phone vibrated a couple of moments later and the caller ID indicated that his Dad was calling. Jack answered the phone and his parents wished him a Happy Birthday. He thanked them before filling them in on his and Bitty’s road trip across the country to promote Bitty’s new book. His parents were thrilled that things were going well and told that that they loved him before hanging up.

As soon as he finished the conversation with his parents, he determined that he had an hour before he had to be at the bookstore. He took a quick shower before deciding on a simple Providence Falconers shirt, one of the many that adorned his closet back at home.

Stepping out of the hotel, he took in the familiar sights of Samwell University. Though he and Bitty had visited a couple of times since Bitty’s graduation, it still felt both weird and comforting to be back. Though the school year hadn’t actually started yet, there were a couple of people walking around the campus. He decided to take the long way to the bookstore, making his way through the campus and past the Haus.

Stopping short in front of the Haus, Jack noticed that it hadn’t changed one bit since he was last there. After taking a couple of moments to reflect on the memories he had made there, Jack kept walking down the street on the familiar path he knew by heart.

As he reached the small, quaint bookstore a couple of blocks from campus, he saw a small crowd had lined up outside, impatiently waiting to go inside. Each person in line was holding a copy of Bitty’s cookbook, waiting for their chance to meet the author and get it personally signed.

Jack noticed a girl in line recognize him and point him out to her friend. Though he still felt a little uncomfortable about the attention of fans even after years in the NHL, he gave the two of them a small smile and wave before quickly ducking into the bookstore.

The bookstore hadn’t changed much since the last time Jack had been there. Near the back of the store, Jack saw a makeshift stage with a podium and several rows of empty chairs facing the stage. A security guard stepped in front of him and crossed his arms before he had a chance to close the door. “Sir, you need to get in line.”

Jack opened his mouth to explain the situation, but he heard Bitty speak before he could say anything. “He’s with me, sir.”

Bitty looked handsome as he stood among the bookshelves, a smile gracing his features at the sight of Jack. The security guard nodded curtly and let Jack pass through. As he reached Bitty, Jack embraced him. “Morning. Thanks for the pie.”

“Happy Birthday,” Bitty replied. Jack leaned in to kiss him, feeling at home in the familiar embrace. 

A woman, clearly an employee of the store, approached them and Jack slowly pulled away from Bitty as he turned to face her. “Hello, I’m Mary. We’re thrilled to have you both here.” Jack reached out to shake her hand and greeted her with a simple ‘hello’. “We’re going to start letting people inside in five minutes. Please follow me to the back.” 

Jack and Bitty nodded and allowed Mary to lead them past the bookshelves. She took them to a small room in the back, empty other that a couple of book themed posters and a small couch against the wall. Mary offered them water as they settled into the couch, but the two politely declined. The security guard came to the doorway soon after and Mary left with him.

As the two of them waited, they heard the sound of people filing into the bookstore and chattering with excitement. Bitty looked slightly nervous, despite the fact that he had already done this several times this summer alone. Jack squeezed his hand lightly, reassuring him, “You’re going to be great out there. You always are.” Bitty nodded, looking slightly more relaxed.

They heard the crowd quiet and Mary announced, “Welcome to the Samwell Bookstore. Our guest today is a master baker known for his video blog, his multiple appearances on the Food Network, and for helping to bring Samwell its first NCAA Hockey Championship in 2017 as the first openly gay captain in collegiate hockey history.” Bitty stood up and made his way to the door, taking a deep breath as he prepared to walk to the podium. “Please give a warm welcome to Eric “Bitty” Bittle!” Mary announced as Bitty opened the door and stepped out of the room.

The crowd erupted into cheers as Bitty made his grand entrance onto the makeshift stage. He took his seat at the table and pulled the microphone closer to him. Jack snuck out of the room as everyone focused their attention towards the stage, finding a space in the back of the room to observe. 

“Good morning, Samwell!” Bittle addressed the crowd with a wide smile that lit up the room. “It’s so good to be back!” A couple of cheers greeted this declaration and Jack briefly locked eyes with Bitty before he returned his attention to the crowd. “Thank you all for coming today. I have a lot of memories here and I’ll never forget the people that I met here.” A couple of people in the crowd awed at the statement. Bitty blushed in response, but continued to address the crowd. “I have some time for a couple of questions before I begin signing autographs.”

A number of hands went up. Mary went to a girl sitting in the second row and held a microphone in front of her. The girl asked a question about hockey and Bittle answered it with his typical enthusiasm. Mary passed the microphone to a boy who asked a baking question. Jack snapped a couple of pictures of Bitty on his phone, as he had on every other stop on the tour. After a couple of more questions about baking and hockey. A girl asked, “How is Jack doing?”

Bitty caught Jack’s eye and said, “He’s here with me today.” A large number of the audience turned around and Jack’s face flushed at their staring at him. “It’s actually his birthday today,” Bitty continued. He paused for a couple of moments before adding, “We should sing for him.”

The crowd erupted into the familiar song, but Jack kept his eyes trained on Bitty as he sang directly to him. Once the song had ended, Jack glanced at the crowd that was eyeing him with expectation. “Thank you,” he politely responded. The crowd returned their attention to Bitty, who answered a couple more questions before the security guard shepherded the crowd into a line for autographs.

Jack watched as Bitty interacted with his fans, enjoying watching the way his eyes lit up at the compliments. He made sure to take a couple of more pictures of Bitty, as he was planning to put together a collection once the tour was finished. He watched as a couple of fans handed Bitty gifts, which Bitty promptly handed to Mary who put them all in a bag. A few fans approached Jack after they got out of the line, asking for a photo. Jack agreed and spent most of the morning posing for selfies.

Once everyone in line got their autograph, Bitty stood up and waved to those who had stayed behind. Mary ushered Bitty into the back room and Jack followed them. As soon as Mary closed the door behind them, Bitty embraced Jack and the two shared a deep kiss. “You were great out there,” Jack assured Bitty. “As always.”

Bitty smiled back at him. “Thanks.” Mary came in, handing Bitty the bag of fan gifts she had collected. She thanked Bitty for coming and wished Jack a ‘Happy Birthday.’ They both thanked her, and she told them that they were free to head out whenever they were ready. 

After a couple of moments, Jack and Bitty walked out of the bookstore hand in hand. A small group of remaining fans watched them and Bitty gave them a small wave as they headed to one of the nearby restaurants for lunch. After lunch, they headed back to the hotel for a much-needed rest.

About an hour later, Jack awoke from a small nap and heard Bitty talking on the phone. Jack pretended to be asleep as he heard Bitty talking to whoever was on the other end about a ‘surprise.’ He knew that they had reservations for the nicest restaurant in Samwell tonight, but the way Bitty was talking indicated that he had more planned for them. He grinned, wondering what other surprises Bitty had planned for them.

He heard Bitty step out and took the opportunity to respond to more unanswered birthday texts. His phone also buzzed with several social media notifications, and he put out a tweet thanking everyone for the birthday wishes.

Bitty returned to the room, and they decided to spend the afternoon watching a movie, cuddling on the hotel’s couch as they searched what movies were available. Once they settled on a movie, Jack could barely focus as he kept wondering what Bitty’s ‘surprise’ would end up being.

When the time came, Jack changed into one of his nicer suits for dinner. “Mr. Zimmermann,” Bitty said as he stepped out of the bedroom of the suite. “You look so handsome.”

Jack flushed at the compliment, smiling back at Bitty, who looked equally handsome in his own suit. “You look quite handsome yourself, Mr. Zimmermann.” Bitty grinned as he held out his hand. Jack took it and they made their way to the restaurant.

Though the hostess put them at a semi-secluded table in the back of the restaurant, Jack noticed several patrons craning their neck to take a look at them. One brave girl came over and asked for a photo, which Jack and Bitty were happy to oblige.

After dinner, Bitty grabbed Jack’s hand as they stepped out of the restaurant. Jack noticed a slight mischievous twinkle in his eyes and remembered what he had heard Bitty say about a ‘surprise’ back in the hotel suite. “I was thinking that we should go for a walk,” Bitty suggested. Jack noticed that he was attempting to act nonchalant, but Jack could see the excitement in his eyes.

Jack smiled, deciding to play along. “That sounds like a great idea.” He let Bitty lead them through campus. It didn’t take long for him to realize that Bitty was leading them towards the familiar path towards the Haus.

The building was dark as they stepped in front of it, there was no sign that anybody was inside. Bitty pulled the keys out of his pocket and stepped up to the front door. The two of them stepped into the dark hallway, only to be greeted with a yell of “Surprise!” when Bitty turned the lights on.

Jack’s eyes widened as he took in the sight of all of his friends staring back at him. Shitty, Lardo, Ransom, Holster, Chowder, Nursey, Dex, and the rest of his Samwell and Providence friends and teammates. Most of the current Samwell players weren’t there, but a couple of young-looking guys Jack hadn’t seen before also stood in the crowd. Jack turned to Bitty, who was beaming beside him, before turning back to his friends. “Thank you.”

Even though he still kept in touch with most of the people from Samwell, it had been a while since he had seen a lot of them in person. He felt his heart swell at the sight of all of them together. It was like barely any time had passed, even though everyone looked slightly older than their college days.

Though the party started relatively quietly, it didn’t take long for the party to turn into a traditional Samwell hockey team party. Though it had been years since most of them had been to a college party, it felt natural to slip back into one. Jack, with Bitty by his side for most of the night, spent his time catching up with everyone. 

An hour later, Jack saw Bitty sneak into the kitchen and returned soon after with one of the largest birthday cakes Jack had ever seen, two candles in the shape of a three and zero lit on the top of the chocolate frosting. Shitty turned off the music and the room turned into a hush as Bitty rolled the cart into the center of the room. There were several gasps at the size of the cake and Jack felt everyone glance at him.

Bitty cleared his throat as he kept his eyes on Jack. “Jack, I know that being on the road promoting my book isn’t the most fun experience for you. However, I’ve really enjoyed having your company on the road and I love you so much. When I saw we were going to be here on your birthday, I knew I had to make it special.” Bitty took a deep breath before continuing. “Happy Birthday Jack, to the best husband a boy could ever ask for.” As Bitty finished, the crowd burst into a rendition of ‘Happy Birthday’.

Jack smiled at the crowd looking back at him. As they finished the song, Jack stepped forward. He closed his eyes, wondering what he should wish for. He couldn’t think of anything, as he knew that he already had everything he could ever want. With a deep breath, Jack blew out the candles and the room cheered. Lardo helped Bitty cut the cake and Bitty handed the first slice to Jack. “Thank you,” Jack said, with a smile. He took the cake, and eagerly began to eat it. It was clearly homemade, like most of Bitty’s creations. He wondered how long it had taken to make a cake of that size, making a mental note to ask later.

Once slices of the cake had been distributed to everyone, everyone complimented Bitty on his baking. Soon after, the party returned to its normal, wild pace. Jack approached Bitty, giving him a deep kiss as he thanked him for the surprise party and the cake. Bitty wished him a happy birthday before rolling the remaining cake back into the kitchen.

Once Bitty returned to his side, they spent the rest of the evening catching up with everyone. As the night wore on, Jack felt himself growing tired. Bitty saw him yawning and asked, “Are you ready to head out?”

Jack nodded and the two said their goodbyes to everyone. Bitty apologized to a couple of the younger guys that he wouldn’t be able to help clean up. One of the guys assured Bitty that they would take care of it. “Anything for the two of you,” the guy said, a look of awe in his eye as he eyed the two of them. Bitty thanked everyone for their help in planning the party and Jack said goodbye to everyone before they left the Haus.

Once outside, Jack slipped his hand into Bitty’s. “Thank you for everything,” Jack said, as he turned to Bitty. “You didn’t have to go all out.”

Bitty simply smiled back. “Yes, I did,” Bitty responded. “It’s your birthday, your 30th birthday in fact.”

The two stopped under a nearby streetlamp. Jack leaned forward and crashed their lips together as his arms snaked around Bitty’s waist. Bitty smiled and slipped his tongue into Jack’s mouth as he wrapped his arms around Jack’s neck. “I love you,” Jack said as he pulled away.

Jack’s heart melted as Bitty smiled back. “I love you, too,” Bitty replied. The two rejoined hands as they made their way back to the hotel. Once inside, they changed into pajamas and climbed into the bed. Jack slipped his arms around Bitty in a position that was familiar to both of them.

“Happy Birthday,” Bitty said. “I hope it was a good one.”

Jack replayed the memories of the day in his head, grinning at how much he enjoyed spending the day surrounded by his husband and his friends. “It was,” Jack assured Bitty, nuzzling closer to him. “Thank you.” He had a lot to be thankful for: his career, his husband, his friends, and his family. Even though he didn’t feel any older, he felt just as content as he had been yesterday. He knew that he would feel content tomorrow and the day after that. He fell asleep soon after, thinking to himself, _Best Birthday Ever._


End file.
